On Saturday, January 24, 2026, we spent an afternoon at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, at Leavesden Studios just outside Watford. It’s where the films were made, and the tour walks you through the real sets, costumes, props and creature effects – finishing with an enormous scale model of Hogwarts.
Arriving: a dragon overhead
The welcome hall sets the tone straight away, with a huge dragon hanging from the ceiling. Not far in you’ll also find one of the most famous small spaces in film: the cupboard under the stairs.
The Great Hall
The tour starts in the Great Hall itself, with its long tables set with plates and goblets, house costumes on display and the stone walls you remember from the films. Further on, the portrait-lined staircases are just as detailed up close.
Inside Hogwarts
Set after set recreates the castle’s rooms: the dormitory with its red-curtained four-poster beds, the corridors leading to the headmaster’s office, Dumbledore’s office itself, and the Potions classroom with its shelves of jars and cauldrons.
The Burrow, the Ministry and the Forbidden Forest
Beyond the castle there’s the Weasleys’ cosy, cluttered kitchen at the Burrow, a towering stone monument from the Ministry of Magic, and a dark, misty Forbidden Forest where Hagrid’s costume stands waiting with his lantern.
Greenhouses and the creature workshop
The Herbology greenhouse glows at night, with student figures in earmuffs repotting mandrakes. Nearby, the creature workshop shows off the animatronics and models used on screen – dragon heads, toothy beasts and a lifelike hippogriff.
Gringotts and Diagon Alley
The Gringotts bank set is a highlight: goblins at their counters, a gleaming marble banking hall and a vault overflowing with gold. Then it’s out onto Diagon Alley, where every shop window is packed with tiny details.
The Hogwarts castle model
The tour saves the best for last. After a white card model of the castle used during design, you walk around the giant, intricately detailed model of Hogwarts used for exterior shots in the films. The lighting slowly shifts from day to night, so it’s worth going round more than once.
Tips if you go: tickets are sold for timed entry slots, so book ahead – especially for weekends. Allow at least three to four hours to see everything. If you’re coming by train, a shuttle bus runs from Watford Junction station to the studios. Making a weekend of it? See my London food and pubs guide for where to eat and drink in the city.